What is missing from the concept of the new European Building Directive?

Decisions made by architects in the present can influence the global energy, economic and ecological scene for up to a century. Of the annual gross energy consumption 40–50%—and the corresponding emissions—are related to the construction, operation and maintenance of buildings in Europe. The growing concern of professionals and the general public about the role of the building sector in energy use led to national and international legislative measures. The Energy Performance Building Directive (EPBD) by the European Commission lays down a framework for the calculation of the integrated energy performance of buildings. National building regulations based on the EPBD and adapted to the local conditions have to be implemented by 4 January 2006. The EPBD encompasses operational energy only, while other phases of the life cycle of buildings are almost completely neglected. This paper recommends taking into account the energy needed for manufacturing of building materials, the so-called embodied energy, as well, to check the rationality of operational energy saving measures. The significance of embodied energy, the problems of input data and the applicability of discounting techniques are discussed through examples and a method is proposed to account for this type of energy in the regulations.